Green Councillors speak of fears for future of HIV prevention services in Brighton & Hove.
This follows yesterdays (July 12) news that the city’s Health & Wellbeing board had approved a 20% cut in prevention and support services.
The board agreed to put to tender a contract to deliver services including STI testing, free condoms, information, outreach and counselling with 20% less funding than the current contract. The contract will be open to any provider and will start from April 2017.
HIV continues to be one of the fastest-growing serious health conditions in the UK, with Brighton & Hove having the highest diagnosis rate outside London.
Cllr Dick Page, Green spokesperson on the Health & Wellbeing Board, said: “While the government may be deeply split on how to proceed with Brexit, their commitment to austerity remains firm, and it continues to press ahead with cuts to services such as public health.
“Any reduction in counselling, testing and other support to local people at risk of HIV will endanger the health of many thousands in our diverse city. This cut in HIV prevention is not only deeply irresponsible, it will also drive up longer-term costs. Evidence shows that every HIV infection that is prevented benefits individual and public health and also saves the State around £280,000.
“Wherever you look, our NHS desperately needs extra funding to meet the needs of our population. We need to get smarter and invest to save both lives and money.”
Councillor Ken Norman the Conservative spokesperson on the Health & Wellbeing Board responded: “It is quite disingenuous to come out so critically about the decision when Councillor Page was at the meeting and indeed he was given ample opportunity to vote against the proposals.
“It is also lazy to simply blame the government for changes to funding when it is firmly within the remit of the Health & Wellbeing Board to decide where the money goes in relation to public health. How the Board, which is made up of doctors, health officials, council officers and councillors from all three parties, choose to spend funds is nothing to do with central government and in this instance all were unanimously in agreement, including Cllr Page.
“As Cllr Page says, “we need to get smarter and invest to save both lives and money” and on this I wholeheartedly agree with him. This is why all members of the Board agreed to the proposed continuation of those HIV prevention and support services which are working well so that as many people as possible get the help they need.”
In Brighton and Hove, 1,735 residents were living with diagnosed HIV in 2014.
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